tv

Cheerleader assaults centurion? Must be a new Samsung ad

Selling TVs is hard.

Especially if the medium at your disposal is, well, TV.

Most look somewhat the same. Most seem to do very similar things, which is make "American Idol" look and sound better than it really is.

So one can understand Samsung feeling a touch hamstrung in trying to make its Smart TVs look astoundingly intelligent.

In this case -- thank you, Business Insider for finding this -- not only is the budget seemingly enormous, but so are the ambitions.

There are two ads that feature so many themes and special effects that you have come … Read more

Aereo wins big one in streaming case against TV networks

Aereo, the streaming service that allows subscribers to receive and record programs over the air, has won a key court ruling today.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today denied a preliminary injunction motion (PDF) from television networks that would have prevented Aereo from transmitting recorded broadcast television programs to its subscribers. The court found that the networks, which have charged that Aereo's service is illegal, "have not demonstrated that they are likely to prevail on the merits of this claim in their copyright infringement action."

Late last year, a U.S. District … Read more

A 4K Apple TV: Does anyone still care?

Normally, you'd think a rumor that never comes true, despite being circulated continuously for years, would shrivel up and die. Such is not the case with the legend of a fabled Apple TV set, which later became an Apple HDTV set, and now apparently is an Apple 4K screen, according to the latest iteration of the gossip.

But after all this time, the more pertinent question becomes not "will there be an Apple TV?" but "do we still care about an Apple TV?"… Read more

How to pad a recording using the Xfinity TV Remote app

With opening day a mere three days away, and the second weekend of the NCAA tournament under way, there is much in the way of great sporting events to consume in the coming days and weeks.

If you find yourself at work or otherwise away from your Comcast, er, Xfinity cable box and realize you forgot to record a game, fear not: you can set a recording using the Xfinity TV Remote app for iPhone or for Android. I would always recommend adding some extra time to your recording, but the process is a bit more involved with the mobile … Read more

Razer Edge takes PC gaming to new level

CNET Update levels up:

The Razer Edge isn't your typical tablet. This Windows 8 PC gaming tablet is a unique hybrid device thanks to its various accessories. But for a high price, not every feature is high-end. Get a taste in the video above, or dive into the full review here.

Also in the tech news roundup:

- Google Maps updates with live transit data in NYC, D.C. and Salt Lake City.

- The Google Play Movies and TV app on Android shows actor info from videos you're watching. (Amazon is doing the same with its X-Ray feature.) … Read more

Amazon expands X-Ray actor bio feature to TV shows

Curious about what other shows feature the actress playing Lady Grantham on "Downtown Abbey"? Kindle Fire users can now find out instantly using Amazon's X-Ray feature.

The e-commerce giant today said it has expanded its X-Ray for movies feature to TV shows, providing real-time access to actor bios when watching a show. Just tap on the Kindle Fire screen while watching "Downtown Abbey," for example, and a drop-down menu of the actors appearing in the current scene appears. Viewers then can select whichever actors they're interested in to see their bios. X-Ray draws its … Read more

Apple iTV iffy this year because of supply issues, says report

A new report from Asia claims that Apple will not have an easy time getting the very-high-resolution display it needs for the iTV.

That would purportedly be a 3,840x2,160 Ultra HD display, according to a report in Digitimes. That resolution is sometimes referred to as 4K Ultra HD.

The report cites two obstacles for Apple. One, Ultra HD TV makers in Taiwan are booked up already for 2013 orders. That supply is going to China-based TV makers. Two, it's not clear if one Apple's favorite display suppliers, LG Display -- which provides displays for the iPad … Read more

Quickly view Google Play purchase history on Android

When setting up a new device, it's nice to go back and make sure you've downloaded all of your purchased apps (or any purchased content for that matter), but Google's Play store app doesn't make it easy for this to happen at the moment. Currently your download history contains both free and paid apps, with no way to separate the two.

My Purchases is a free Android app that allows users to view their entire Google Play purchase history with just a few taps, as first reported by Droid Life.

After you install the free or … Read more

Intel closing in on pay-TV service, company reports

Bloomberg posted an interesting tidbit this afternoon, suggesting that Intel is negotiating with a clutch of content providers in connection with a planned online pay-TV service. Given how we're talking about Intel -- yes, that Intel, chip king extraordinaire -- this would make for quite the headline, should it come to pass. Apparently, the sides have reached general agreement on the contours of the proposed service; although, some details remain unresolved.

The content suppliers named in the piece include Time Warner, NBC Universal, and Viacom. Sources tell Bloomberg that Intel is also about to open talks with News Corp., … Read more

How to watch YouTube videos on Roku

Of the 750-plus channels Roku has to offer, there's one big guy missing from the pack: YouTube.

Considering its front-and-center presence on other platforms -- like Apple TV and Samsung Smart TVs -- its conspicuous absence might seem odd. But, Roku's CEO offers a logical explanation, noting that "YouTube insists on using HTML5 for its UI," and seemingly refuses to build a Roku-specific app.

YouTube's absence hurts so bad that even third-party developers have created channels almost exclusively designed to stream YouTube, only to be pulled days or weeks later.

As of this writing, there … Read more